www.theroot.com: If there’s one group of people you can always bet on to keep it real at all times, it’s Black women. When it comes to the shortcomings of Hollywood and its mistreatment and undervaluing of Black talent and shows in particular, Black women—namely Taraji P. Henson, Keke Palmer and most recently Issa Rae are sounding the alarm and proposing a complete exit from the industry as a whole.
2 comments:
It is really interesting to hear people talk like this. I feel like I hear talk, all the time, of what steps we need to take to fix Hollywood or what we need to diversify the industry. But to hear people simply say I don’t want to participate in it anymore but this is how I am going to contribute to the world instead, is eye-opening. And I know it sounds kind of dumb but it sort of made me realize, or a better word would be, reminded me that I do not need to participate in “the industry” if it continues to be problematic. And sure there are arguments to be said that it can be fixed, but what's to say we can’t move away from it and start a new like these women are proposing? If Hollywood is at the mercy of “Wall Street” and its lost its authentic creative roots why not move away and invest in different projects like these women? Honestly, this was a very refreshing article and it served as a good reminder for me.
I think that underrepresentation is a huge problem in the entertainment industry. There is so much racism and prejudice in our society, storytelling is actually a very impactful way to change people's perceptions of a minority group. A lot of the media shows stereotypes of these groups that can be harmful. It causes the people in these communities to be pegged into a hole and manages societal expectations for them. It can also greatly affect the way that one sees themself and what they believe their potential is. I think that Keke Palmer, Jarajo P. Henson and Issa Rae are doing very important work by standing up for the black community and not putting up with the injustices that they have seen in the film and television industry. I think it is really cool that Issa Rae wants to invest in independent projects because this will give a platform to those who normally do not have one and create meaningful work that’s sole purpose is to just make a profit.
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